The operating detail of Paraguay's Investor Pass has become clear enough to lay out properly, and the headline figure is misleading in a way worth correcting. Resolución MIC N° 0283 of 21 April 2026, issued by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, sets four investment categories that lead to direct permanent residency, starting at US$70,000. That lowest tier is the one most foreign investors reading about it are least likely to want.
Correction, 20 August 2026: this article originally put the residency step at 90 to 120 business days. That figure has been removed; see the timing section below.
Update and correction, 1 October 2026: we have now checked every point below against the text of Resolución MIC 0283/2026. Four statements were wrong or too loose: the 30% real-estate deposit is in the resolution; the financial category is not limited to listed instruments but runs through an entity licensed by the Superintendencia de Valores; the per-investor minimum is stated only for the productive category; and the roughly 20 business days for the residency step is an estimate, not a published target. The 8% dividend rate is not a program benefit either. The sections below have been corrected, and first-half figures have been added.
The Four Tiers Resolution 0283/2026 Sets Out
| Category | Minimum | The condition attached |
|---|---|---|
| Productive | US$70,000 | Pre-approved business plan with at least 5 formal jobs, half-yearly reports |
| Tourism | US$150,000 | Pre-approved business plan plus half-yearly progress reports, no jobs requirement |
| Financial instruments | US$200,000 | Certified by an entity licensed by the Superintendencia de Valores (BCP), held at least two years, reported annually |
| Real estate | US$200,000 | Investment property only, not for exclusively personal or family use |
The real-estate category does accept a partial payment. The resolution takes either a registered public deed or a purchase contract with notarized signatures on which at least 30% of the declared amount has been paid, so off-plan purchases can qualify. Either document may be no older than 180 days when the application is filed.
The $70,000 Tier Is Not the Cheap Option
Read the condition column again. The productive route asks for a business plan approved in advance and five formal jobs in a commercial, service or industrial activity. The investment can go into a new company or into an existing one you buy into, but either way it means operating a business with payroll.
Since April, wages, rent and running costs no longer count toward the US$70,000, so the payroll comes on top. Five jobs at Paraguay's minimum wage cost about US$38,800 a year once social security and the thirteenth-month salary are added. For someone whose plan is to move capital rather than run a company, US$70,000 is not an entry price; it is the wrong product.
For a passive investor, the realistic entry point is US$200,000, in financial instruments or in property held to let. Tourism is not passive either, since it carries a business plan and half-yearly reports even without a jobs requirement.
Most Investors Still Choose the Productive Route
The first-half figures, published by REDIEX at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, show the opposite of what the price tags suggest. Paraguay issued 140 investor certificates from January to June 2026, with about US$31 million in declared investment. Only 18 of them fell into the three categories created in April: 15 real estate, 2 financial instruments and 1 tourism, according to Vice Minister Eduardo Gustale.
The remaining 122 or so, about 87%, went to the productive route. Part of that reflects timing, since the new resolution took effect only on 21 April and earlier cases ran under the old single-route rule. Still, the cheapest door is also the busiest one, even though it brings the heaviest obligations.
What the Pass Buys Is Time
The substance of the change is the sequence. Ordinarily you hold temporary residency first and can file a separate application for permanent status only from the 21st month. The Investor Pass removes that step and grants permanent residency directly; the status is indefinite, with the carnet renewed every ten years.
Financial adviser Daniel Núñez Martínez described exactly that as the main change: investors no longer have to go through the temporary-residency phase first.
The presence obligation is correspondingly light. You appear in person for the cédula, and afterwards only need to avoid a single absence running past three years. You also have to be in Paraguay at the very start: the certificate application needs proof of entry and a criminal-record certificate from INTERPOL Paraguay.
On timing, the Constancia de Inversionista Extranjero (CIE) is issued through SUACE within at most five business days of a complete file. That is the only binding deadline. For the residency step that follows, the resolution sets no deadline at all; law firms estimate 20 to 90 business days after the CIE, so treat any single figure as an estimate.
The Detail That Catches Couples
Each applicant has to reach the minimum individually where several investors share a project, so partners cannot pool capital to qualify together. The resolution spells this out for the productive category. For real estate and financial instruments it is silent, which leaves open whether a couple could share one US$200,000 property.
Until that is clarified, plan on the full amount per person. The certificate also covers only the investor; on the current reading, a spouse and children apply for their own residency through the general route.
What It Does Not Give You
An Investor Pass is an immigration status. It is not tax residency, and the two keep getting conflated.
Migraciones grants residency. Tax residency is a separate question under Paraguayan law for a contador, and the tax residency certificate your home country may eventually ask to see requires, among other things, a RUC registered after the cédula and kept active with current filings. We set out the distinction in immigration status versus tax residency, and the head of the DNIT spoke about that second step earlier this month.
The dividend rate needs the same care. The ministry presented an 8% rate as an investor benefit, but under Article 43 of Ley 6380/2019 the dividend tax (IDU) is 8% for every Paraguayan tax resident and 15% for non-residents. The resolution contains no tax rule at all.
US citizens and green-card holders: none of this alters your US position. The United States taxes worldwide income on the basis of citizenship, so a Paraguayan investor residency changes your immigration status and not your filing obligations at home. Take advice from a US-qualified professional.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Paraguay Investor Pass
What is the minimum investment for the Paraguay Investor Pass?
US$70,000 on paper, through the productive route, but that tier requires a pre-approved business plan and at least five formal jobs. The tourism route starts at US$150,000, and the financial-instrument and real-estate routes at US$200,000 each.
Does the Investor Pass give permanent residency immediately?
It grants permanent residency directly, skipping the usual temporary phase, after which permanent status can only be requested from the 21st month. The investor certificate is due within five business days of a complete file; the residency step has no deadline, and estimates run from about 20 to 90 business days.
Can a couple combine investments to qualify for Paraguay residency?
Not in the productive category, where each applicant must meet the minimum alone. For real estate and financial instruments the resolution does not say, so plan on the full amount per person until the MIC or SUACE confirms otherwise for your case.
Does the Investor Pass make me a tax resident of Paraguay?
No. It is an immigration status granted by Migraciones. Tax residency is governed by Paraguayan tax law, and a tax residency certificate for use abroad requires, among other things, a RUC with the DNIT kept active with current filings.
Every category, document and fee is covered in our Paraguay Investor Pass guide, and the real-estate route in detail in Paraguay residency through real estate.
Considering the Investor Pass? We coordinate the filing administratively, from the investor certificate through to the cédula; see our Investor Pass service, and for the real-estate category our property search.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. It reflects Resolución MIC 0283/2026 as checked on 1 October 2026, plus press reporting on the first-half figures; operating rules for this program can change. Confirm current requirements with the MIC, Migraciones or a qualified Paraguayan adviser before committing capital.
Sources
- ▹Resolución MIC N° 0283/2026 (primary text)
- ▹La Nación: con el Investor Pass, Paraguay busca atraer capital extranjero con inversiones desde USD 70.000
- ▹Pasmor Abogados: Paraguay Investor Pass, Resolución MIC 283/2026
- ▹Migraciones: Paraguay Investor Pass, nueva herramienta para facilitar la inversión extranjera
- ▹InfoNegocios: Investor Pass atrajo inversiones por US$ 31 millones en primer semestre
- ▹Prensa Mercosur: Investor Pass ya movilizó US$ 31 millones y proyecta más de 1.000 empleos
About the author
Yannick Schroth
Founder · Paraguay relocation support
Spends regular time in Paraguay and, with his team on the ground in Asunción, guides international nomads, entrepreneurs and investors through residency, the cédula and the RUC paperwork.
